Oshiomhole warns tax defaulters

He said it is sad that while low-income earners pay their taxes, the rich do not.

Oshiomhole spoke at the plenary session of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) at the St. Matthews Anglican Cathedral in Benin, the state capital.

He said: “We have emphasised that we must re-invent the concept of tax. Workers at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) are on strike over tax payment. Tax payment is a federal law; it was not made by me.

“People who think they can evade tax because they are working in sensitive places need to rethink. If a sick person is brought to the hospital, the fact of his being sick does not preclude the person from paying for his treatment.

“I have a couple of times paid the hospital bills of indigent patients at UBTH, who were not discharged because they had not paid for their treatment. If you can detain the poor on account of his being unable to pay his medical bills, who are you not to pay tax?

“We sealed the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) for tax evasion. If motor mechanics pay and commercial motorcyclists pay tax, there is no reason a federal agency should evade tax.

“It is very fashionable in Nigeria for people to spend N50 million on weddings, N100 million on birthdays and even much more on funerals, but such persons are often unwilling to pay five per cent tax.

“In such a situation, it is better to send them to prison, just to remind them that the prison is not meant for only the poor. The prison is meant for those who flout the criminal law.”

Oshiomhole said it was sad that 52 years after independence, the masses were getting poorer. He blamed it on the absence of good governance.

The governor said: “The state must create a good environment for the people to operate. If politicians try to divert attention, the church must stand on the side of truth.

“In Edo State, we have tried our best; first to regain the confidence that Edo is viable. We have made modest efforts to restore hope, but what we have done is nothing compared to what we need to do to get to the level that we deserve.”

State CAN Chairman Rev. Peter Imasuen said the theme of this year’s plenary is: “Fostering Good Governance”.

He said: “Good governance is all about accountability and transparency. Despite increasing democracy and stability in sub-Saharan Africa, corruption and conflict remain serious barriers to ending extreme poverty.”